The key facts

  • The number of platform workers aged 50–59 grew 20.3% year on year to 408.9 thousand people
  • The share of this group rose from 13.2% to 16.7%, while the total number of platform workers fell 4.9% to 2.45 million
  • Growth in platform employment among the older group (20.3%) noticeably outpaces growth in the overall number of workers aged 50–59 (2.3%)

The older age group grew even as the overall number declined

In the second quarter of 2026, the number of Russians aged 50–59 for whom work through digital platforms is their main job increased by 20.3% year on year, reaching 408.9 thousand people. This is stated in a study by the Samozanyatost.online portal, which was reviewed by Gazeta.Ru. The share of this age group among platform workers rose from 13.2% to 16.7%.

What is happening with the other groups

The growth of the older group stands out against the overall trend: the total number of people whose main job is tied to platforms fell by 4.9% over the year, from 2.57 million to 2.45 million. The largest group remained those aged 30–39, although its size decreased by 12.1%. Among workers aged 20–29, the decline was 11.1%, while the number of participants aged 40–49 remained virtually unchanged. Thus, people aged 50–59 are the only major group to show notable growth.

Why this is happening

Portal head Arseny Belenky links the interest of the 50–59 audience to the fact that for this group it is important 'not to start one's professional life from scratch, but to find a use for existing skills,' while platforms 'can shorten the path between a person and the client.' Among the possible reasons for the growth he cited flexible schedules and the ability to choose tasks based on experience and available time. Additional context comes from a survey by FOM, Sber and the Ministry of Economic Development: among self-employed respondents open to side work, 65% named pay as important, while 33% each cited convenient timing and tasks matching their experience.

How much the growth outpaces overall employment

A telling comparison with the overall employment dynamics for this age: platform employment among people aged 50–59 grew noticeably faster than the total number of workers in this age group — 20.3% versus 2.3%. This means the growth cannot be explained simply by an increase in the number of older workers: people are increasingly choosing the platform format specifically. For reference: platform employment means receiving orders through digital services — this is how taxi drivers, couriers, tutors, psychologists, copywriters and designers work, and the requirements for registering the activity depend on the platform, which may work with self-employed individuals, sole proprietors or individuals.